Will try to describe this idea, as I have a few questions for anyone who has had a similar idea. I have a 2016 Diesel Colorado and a 2011 Eagle. I had to raise the camper 3 1/2" as the bed rails on the Colorado are high (the only thing I don't like about the truck). Instead of making a box for the camper to sit on, I made five cross beams and attached them to the camper base (horizontally). This also allowed me to add a few inches of ridge foam insulation to the floor in between. As most pop up camper folks know your camper is never done...it is in "continual tweak".
I had seen someone on the WTW make a nice diamond aluminum frame to put their Rotopax (3) 2 gallon fuel tanks in under the over-cab. Worked real nice for them. I was just about to copy that idea when i hit me that I'd rather have the weight lower as well as the tanks out of sight. I don't usually fill them until I am about to go into an area that I might like to roam and have fuel insurance. This paid off big time in The Yukon... we made it to a station on fumes... I had about a pint of fuel left!
Okay... the idea is this: I have a standard 6 ft bed. The camper base now has 5 cross pieces (3 1/2") lift.
The last one is flush with the rear of the bed. My idea is to take that one off and add two side blocks for support, then add two 1" "I" beams (oak) to create three compartments, each 14.25" wide (the Rotopax are 14" x 18.5" x 3"). The tanks would slide in to hit the next cross support 10.5" in from the end of the bed. This then would have the tanks mostly supported by the truck bed, but still over hang (as the camper does) the rear bumper (only half the distance to the end of the camper). The part that overhangs could have a 1/4"ply screwed on to support the part of the tanks that overhang. There would then be a piece of wood that would clip cross the opening holding in the three tanks also concealing them.
The tanks would be on the truck bed, lower center of gravity, and out of sight and out off the way, easy access.
My questions are about the ply base of camper. The two side ends, on an Eagle have the propane tank on the left and the right is where the porta-potty goes.... it this 9" x 18" ply part of the whole sheet of plywood base or is it two small pieces? This is important info as if I put the two side blocks on those locations I would be putting the seam under stress. If it is solid ply then the load force would be distributed.
Not sure this is a clear enough description so I will hunt for photos to help. Any and all thoughts and suggestions to consider are much obliged.
I had seen someone on the WTW make a nice diamond aluminum frame to put their Rotopax (3) 2 gallon fuel tanks in under the over-cab. Worked real nice for them. I was just about to copy that idea when i hit me that I'd rather have the weight lower as well as the tanks out of sight. I don't usually fill them until I am about to go into an area that I might like to roam and have fuel insurance. This paid off big time in The Yukon... we made it to a station on fumes... I had about a pint of fuel left!
Okay... the idea is this: I have a standard 6 ft bed. The camper base now has 5 cross pieces (3 1/2") lift.
The last one is flush with the rear of the bed. My idea is to take that one off and add two side blocks for support, then add two 1" "I" beams (oak) to create three compartments, each 14.25" wide (the Rotopax are 14" x 18.5" x 3"). The tanks would slide in to hit the next cross support 10.5" in from the end of the bed. This then would have the tanks mostly supported by the truck bed, but still over hang (as the camper does) the rear bumper (only half the distance to the end of the camper). The part that overhangs could have a 1/4"ply screwed on to support the part of the tanks that overhang. There would then be a piece of wood that would clip cross the opening holding in the three tanks also concealing them.
The tanks would be on the truck bed, lower center of gravity, and out of sight and out off the way, easy access.
My questions are about the ply base of camper. The two side ends, on an Eagle have the propane tank on the left and the right is where the porta-potty goes.... it this 9" x 18" ply part of the whole sheet of plywood base or is it two small pieces? This is important info as if I put the two side blocks on those locations I would be putting the seam under stress. If it is solid ply then the load force would be distributed.
Not sure this is a clear enough description so I will hunt for photos to help. Any and all thoughts and suggestions to consider are much obliged.
